The War in Ukraine

The Latvian National Federation in Canada stands with Ukraine and calls on the Latvian community to join the fight against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Our parents and grandparents became refugees when they fled as the second Soviet invasion of Latvia began in 1944. They found a safe harbour in Canada but also insisted that we learn from their experiences and not forget the lessons of World War II. They feared Russia for the rest of their lives and today we see just how justified they were.

The Latvian community in Canada also has a role to play and our advocacy and activism are of tremendous importance. Please follow this page to find out where to join #Stand with Ukraine rallies and use these resources to learn to better understand today's tragic events. Other resources will also be posted as they become available.

Dainis Īvāns, the Popular Front leader who galvanized the Latvian nation in the 1980s, said on February 25, 2022: "We must help. Ukrainians are sacrificing themselves so that 1940 doesn't come for us [once again] with mass deportations, repressions, and genocide." [Mums jāiet palīgā. Ukraiņi patlaban ziedojas, lai mums nepienāktu 1940. gads ar masu deportācijām, represijām un genocīdu.] Read Īvāns' full address in Latvian at lsm.lv.

Please write to us at politika@lnak.org  with your feedback and suggestions as we build this page

 

Freedom Monument in Rīga lit up in the colours of Ukraine

Photo: Kārlis Eihenbaums